Combination telephone stand and telephone directory secretary and bookrack



J. G. HUNTER Aug. 7, 1934.

COMBINATION TELEPHONE STAND AND TELEPHONE DIRECTORY SECRETARY AND BOOKRACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 21, 1952 Aug. 7, 1934. G HUNTER 1,969,305

COMBINATION T LEPHON STAND AND TELEPHONE DIRECTORY SECRETARY AND BOOKRACK Filed July 21 1932 Patented Aug. 7, 1934 uurreo STATES PATENT oFicE COMBINATION TELEPHONE STAND AND TELEPHONE DIRECTORY SECRETARY AND BOOKRACK John G. Hunter, Columbus, Ohio Application July'21, 1932, Serial No. 623,895 11 Claims. ((31. 312-174) that supports a memorandum telephone directory and memorandum pad, which, when the door of the cabinet is in the open position,.will assume a convenient position for supporting the pad or tablet for writing thereon, and which is automatically folded in to permit the container to assume the closed position.

Further it is an object. of the invention tov provide a structure having the above characteristics in which there is av casing having a drop door hinged thereto and provided with braces to hold the door horizontally as a desk, a shelf being rigidly mounted in the casing and having hinged thereto a leaf which is adapted to carry a memorandum pad and a small directory in which telephone numbers frequently called may be kept, the door carrying a device to cooperate with the hinged leaf for the triple purpose of moving it to an operative position as the door is opened and to hold the leaf from swinging back too far when the door is closed, and to cooperate with a telephone directory clip to retain a telephone directory on the door in such position with reference to the hinged leaf that in turning the leaves of the telephone directory they will not engage the hinged leaf.

Another object is to provide a secretary of the kind indicated, having a closure which constitutes its front wall and is hingedly connected to the bottom of the body of the secretary at the front edge, hangers being provided operatively connecting the closure body to limit the position of the hinged front wall when swung down to a horizontal plane, a shelf being located within the secretary body which has a hinged leaf that gravitates to an approximately vertical position when released, there being a means provided on the hinged front wall for swinging the leaf to a forwardly inclined position automatically as the front wall isopened down and that holds the swinging leaf from swinging back beyond the vertical when the front wall is closed.

Further, the invention has for an object to provide a rod-like device to hold the directory down on the hinged door or front wall, such device cooperating with the aforesaid means to hold the directory in place and against engaging with the hinged leaf as the pages of the telephone directory are turned. A furtherobje'ct of the invention is to provide an illuminating device in combination with the secretary. Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out hereinafter.

To the attainment ends, the invention of the aforesaid objects and still further resides in the novel details "of construction, combination and arrangement of part s, all of which will be first fully described in the following detailed description,"then be particularly pointed out in'the appended claims, refer companying drawings,

ence being had to the acin which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating my invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of thebody of the secretary with the'door open.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, the door being open.

Figure 4 is a similar cross section on the line 4 4 of Figure 2, looking in the direction opposite to Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of the combined leaf spring and telephone directory clip engaging element.

In'the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals indicate ber of the secretary,

The door '7 is held like parts in all of the figures, 1 represents the side bottom of the body of wall standards and 2 the the secretary, 3 the cham- 4 the top, 5 the rear wall the body of the secretary, door '7 which is hinged 2'of the in ahorizontal position by suitable articulated braces 9 and 10.

7 Located on the back wall 5 within the body of the secretary is a, grooved as at 12 to rack. To the front of fixed shelf 11 that may be serve as a pencil and pen this shelf 11 at 14;, is hinged a leaf 1 3 which is adapted, when unrestrained, to

gravitate to an (see Figure 4). The

dum telephone directory frequently called may be memorandum pad 16 approximately. vertical position leaf 13 carries a memoran- 15 in which numbers kept. It also carries a (as shown best in Figures 1 and,2 of the drawings).

The'teleph'one' dire ctory 34 is held on the door '7 by a spring wire rod 1'7 which is secured at 18 tov the door 7 and has its free end'passed through an aperture 25 in the short/upstanding portion '24 of the stud 19;

The stud 19has a base 22 apertured to. receive a screw 23 by means of which it is fastened to the door 7 adjacent the hinge 8. The stud 19 has a forwardly bent portion 20 and a rearwardly bent portion 21 forming the upper V-end of the stud, the portions 20 and 21 cooperating with the hinge leaf 13 for the purpose of moving it to the position'shown in Figure 3'when the door '7 is open and holding it from passing beyond the approximately vertical position toward the back of the secretary when the door is closed (see Figure 4) The rod 17 not only cooperates with the upstanding portion 24 to hold the telephone directory 34 in place on the door 7, but the rod 17 serves to prevent swivelling of the stud 19 on the screw 23, should the screw become loose. It will be noticed that the upstanding portion 24 of the stud 19 is located in a vertical plane in front of the free edge of the leaf 13 so as to leave some space between the telephone directory and the shelf when the door is in the open position so the leaves of the directory may be freely turned without engaging the edge of the hinged leaf 13.

The upper portion 6 of the front Wall of the body of the secretary is cutout, as at 26, to permil; projection of the lamp bulb 28 that is mounted in a lamp fixture carried by the back wall 5, there being a suitable reflector 29 (which forms the subject matter of a copending application) mounted on the front wall 6 whereby the light rays may be directed onto the hinged leaf 13 as well as onto the telephone directory 34 when the door 7 is open.

The telephone 30 is set on the top 4 of the secretary in alignment with the reflector 29 so that "s dial may be illuminated by the rays reflected to it from the lamp 28. v

A paper and envelope rack 31 is provided in the chamber of the secretary and onthe front of this rack a calendar 32 may be secured, if desired.

It will be seen that beneath the shelf 11 is a sufiicient space 33 in which ink wells, or other articles, may be laid, and as the hinged leaf 13 is held from swinging toward the back wall after it has arrived at its approximately vertical position (Figure 4) there will be no danger of breaking the articles located in the space 33, because of the pressure against them of the hinge leaf 13.

Suitable ball spring latches 35 may be provided to hold the door 7 in the closed position.

Instead of mounting the body of the secretary proper on standards 1, as illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings it may be made without the portions of the standards projecting belowthe bottom 2 and secured on a wall or other suitable support by screws or in any other suitable Way, or it may be made as a built-in unit.

When the secretary is of the type shown in Figure 1 the lower portion of the standards 1 are cross-braced by inclined boards 36 which comprise a convenient book rack.

This application is a continuation in part of my application filed February 13, 1932, Serial No. 592,778.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought that the complete construction, operation and advantages of the invention will .be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

What I claim is: g

1. Asecretary of the kind indicated having a body provided with a closure. constituting its front wall and hingedly connected'at the bottom edge, hangers operatively connecting the closure with the body of the secretary to limit the position of the former when open to a horizontal plane, and a leaf within the body and swung from folded to extended position on opening the secretary and vice versa, the leaf being swingably supported by the back wall of the body to normally hang down adjacent the latter, and the closure having a stud adapted to engage the leaf at the rear thereof to swing the leaf when the 010- sure is lowered.

2. A secretary of the kind indicated having a body provided with a closure constituting its front wall and hingedly connected at the bottom edge, hangers operatively connecting the closure with the body to limit the position of the former when opened to a horizontal plane, a shelf fixedly mounted in the interior of the body and having a swinging leaf hinged thereto and adapted to gravitate to an aproximately vertical position, and means on said closure for cooperating with said hinged leaf to move it to a forwardly inclined position when said closure is in the horizontal plane and to hold it against moving backwardly beyond the approximately vertical position when said closure is in a vertical plane.

3. A secretary of the kind indicated having a body provided with a closure constituting its front wall and hingedly connected at the bottom edge, hangers operatively connecting the closure with the body to limit the position of the former when opened to a horizontal plane, a shelf fixedly mounted in the interior of the body and having a swinging leaf hinged thereto and adapted to gravitate to an approximately vertical position, means on said closure for cooperating with said hinged leaf to move it to a forwardly inclined position when'said closure is in the horizontal plane and to hold it against moving backwardly beyond the approximately vertical position when said closure is in a vertical plane, said last named means comprising a stud secured to said closure,

said stud having a short upstanding portion pro- 1 vided with an aperture, and a telephone directory securing rod secured at one endito said closure and having its other end passed through said aperture for the purposes specified.

4. A secretary of the kind indicated having a body provided with a door constituting its front Wall and hingedly connected at the bottom'edge, hangers operatively connecting said door with the body to limit the position of the door when opened to a horizontal plane, a leaf hingedly mounted at its upper edge within the body and adapted to gravitate to an aproximately vertical plane, a stud mounted on said door and having a V-shaped end to underlie the free edge of said leaf for the purpose of moving the leaf to a forwardly inclined position when the door is open and for holding the leaf against swinging back beyond the approximately vertical position when the door is closed, said stud having a base with an upstanding portion at its front end, said upstanding portion being located so as to position a telephone directory whereby its leaves will clear the front edge of said hinged leaf when the hinged leaf is in the forwardly inclined position, a rod secured to said door adjacent its free edge and adapted to pass over a telephone directory and have its free end inserted in an aperture in said upstanding portion substantially as and for the purposes specified.

5. A secretary of the kind indicated having a body provided with a door constituting its front wall and hingedly connected at the bottom edge, hangers connecting the door with the body to limit the position of the door when opened to a horizontal plane, a shelf mounted in the body, a leaf hinged at its upper end to the front edge of said shelf and adapted to gravitate to an approximately vertical position when unrestrained, a stud including a base having an aperture, a screw passing through said aperture to secure said base to said door adjacent the hinged edge thereof, said stud having an upstanding rear portion to underlie the free edge of said hinged leaf and engage the under surface thereof for the dual purpose of moving the hinged leaf to a forwardly inclined position when the door is opened and for holding the hinged leaf against swinging back beyond the approximately vertical position when the door is closed, and means cooperating with said stud for holding a telephone directory on the door.

6. A secretary of the kind indicated having a body provided with a door constituting its front wall and hingedly connected at the bottom edge, hangers connecting the door with the body to limit the position of the door when opened to a horizontal plane, a shelf mounted in the body, a leaf hinged at its upper end to the front edge of said shelf, and adapted to gravitate to an ap proximately vertical position when unrestrained, a stud including a base having an aperture, a screw passing through said aperture to secure said base to said door adjacent the hinged edge thereof, said stud having an upstanding rear portion to underlie the free edge of said hinged leaf and engage the under surface thereof for the dual purpose of moving the hinged leaf to a forwardly inclined position when the door is opened and for holding the hinged leaf against swinging back beyond the approximately vertical position when the door is closed, means cooperating with said stud for holding a telephone directory on the door, said means comprising a wire rod secured to said door adjacent its free edge, said wire having its free end inserted in an aperture in said stud for the purposes specified.

'7. A secretary of the kind indicated having a chambered body provided with a flat front wall, means hingedly connecting the wall at the bottom edge whereby it may be swung down as a desk, hangers operatively connecting the front wall with the body to limit its open position to a horizontal plane, means to secure a telephone directory to the inner face of said front wall to hold it in either an open or a closed position as desired, said means being so positioned that when the directory is closed it will occupy only approximately one-half the area of the wall to which it is attached, a leaf hingedly mounted along its upper edge within the body to be swung from an approximately vertical position to a forwardly inclined position and vice versa, the leaf normally gravitating to an approximately vertical position, means on said front wall to cooperate with said leaf to move it to the forwardly inclined position when said front wall is in the horizontal plane and to hold it against moving backwardly beyond the approximately vertical position when said front wall is in a vertical plane.

8. A secretary of the kind indicated having a body supported on standards and provided with a closure constituting its front wall and hingedly connected at the bottom edge, hangers operatively connecting the closure with the body of the scretary to limit the position of the former when open to a horizontal plane, and a leaf within the body and swung from folded to extended position on opening the secretary and vice versa, the leaf being swingably supported by the back wall of the body to normally hang down adjacent the latter, and the closure having a stud adapted to engage the leaf at the rear thereof to swing the leaf when the closure is lowered, inclined cross boards connecting said standards below the body and comprising a book rack.

9. A telephone cabinet having a front door and means to hold it in a horizontal position when opened as a desk, and having a hinged leaf within the cabinet, means to hold the leaf inclined when the door is open, and means to support a dial telephone set on top of the cabinet combined with a means located in part within the cabinet and'in part on the front of the cabinet to illuminate the interior of the cabinet and the opened door by direct rays, and to illuminate the hinged leaf with both direct and reflected rays and to illuminate the dial of the telephone by reflected rays only, said illuminating means comprising a lamp fixture, a bulb carried thereby and located in an opening in the front of the cabinet above the door opening, a reflector mounted on the front of the cabinet over said bulb and the opening in which it is located, said scribed, a box-like structure having a front wall 7' composed of an upper apron portion and a hinged drop door, said apron portion having an opening, a light mounted within the cabinet and in part projecting through said opening, and a light a shield and reflector mounted on the outside of said apron in front of the cabinet over the opening in the apron for the purpose described.

11. In a telephone cabinet having a front door constituting the major portion of its front wall and means to hold said door in horizontal position when open as a desk, a leaf within the cabinet, and means to hold the leaf in an inclined position, an apron constituting the upper portion of the front wall of the cabinet, said apron having an opening, a light source mounted within the cabinet and'projecting through said opening, a reflector mounted on said apron over said opening and said light source, said light source and said reflector being cooperatively arranged to illuminate the interior of the cabinet and the open door by direct rays, and to illuminate the hinged leaf by both direct and reflected rays and to cast reflected rays upwardly and rearwardly over the top of the cabinet.

JOHN G. HUNTER. 

